Friday, September 17, 2010

Moon Festival @ The Mid-Autumn Festival

Amongst the Malaysians, I believe it is more widely known as the moon cake festival or lantern festival, as it is largely associated with moon cake eating and colorful lantern being seen to be carried by little kids around the neighborhood at night; both of which are my favourite activity.

This year, moon cake festival falls on Sept 22, 2010 (next Wed).

I truly love and enjoy watching the colorful soft hues of the lantern being carried or hung around a shady tree at night. It’s most beautiful when it’s stringed together in a row, or carried around by a group of people.

The mooncake feasting and tea session is my favourite part, though my personal preference is not the traditional moon cake as seen in the 2nd picture above, but more of the “ping phay” type (non bake type – ref pix below, the one in green color), with lotus seed. I don't know how to eat the red bean one.. :-D

The mid autumn festival or in Chinese – Zhongqiujie, is a popular harvest festival celebrated by Chinese and Vietnamese, dating back over 3,000 years of moon worship in China’s Shang Dynasty.

It is held on the 15th day of the eight month in the Chinese calendar, which is usually around late Sept or early Oct in the Gregorian calendar. It is a date that parallels the autumnal equinox of the solar calendar, when the moon is supposedly at its fullest and roundest. The traditional food of this festival is the mooncake, of which there are many different types.

Traditionally on this day, Chinese family members and friends will gather to admire the “bright and full moon”, while they enjoy eating moon cake and drink Chinese tea. Meanwhile the kids will be busy decorating their garden or home with paper lanterns.